"She wondered where the boy's mother was-whether she was fighting for him or even looking for him. And then she thought of Elam and of Mathew, and how a person could be lost and still not missing, or else missing and not lost-and how she wasn't sure which of those was worse."

Fellow readers, this debut is really something special. I know that the slow burning mystery isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy character driven mysteries that are deliciously atmospheric and filled to the brim with heart-wrenching emotion, you won't find a 2020 release that does it better than Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik. I'd like to give you a little context about the structure of this novel, because I think it will help some friends decide if this book is one you'd like to dive into, but as always the spoilers will be left at the door. If I haven't hammered down this point thoroughly enough, this is a slow burning mystery, not a thriller, which seems to be a confusing marketing ploy used over the past few years to sell more books.

"I only want to sit with you. That's all I ever want. To be sitting next to you."

*deep breath* Ok, so this is a novel that jumps around between the past and the present. The book opens with a glimpse at Mathew and William's last night alive, and aside from the final chapter, we get nothing else from their POV. The past scenes help paint the picture of what happened to the boys and are one part of the mystery that drives the suspense of the novel. It's worth noting that, while brief, the scene describing how they are found in death is extremely graphic and disturbing. It is possible to skip this scene, as the details are not mentioned again, and how their bodies are found aren't entirely necessary to the concluding details, but they are relevant. The present narrative is when the boys' fathers go missing, along with the arrival of an Iraq veteran named Milk in town. His story and Ruth's (the mother of Mathew and wife of Elam) intertwine and come together at the climax of the story.

The beauty of this story isn't really either mystery, although they are well done and we receive more closure than I expected going in, but it's the intricate detailing in the setting and sense of small town placement that truly shines. I felt the temperature drop all around me as I read the descriptions of crunching snow in Vermont, I could practically smell the fresh mountain air as I metaphorically flipped the pages, and I could certainly feel each and every character's sorrow as they tried to live their lives after being touched by unspeakable tragedy. In my heart of hearts, I know that losing a child is my deepest fear, and the care and development that the author put into invoking a sense of empathy from the reader is nothing short of astonishing. While the action in this book is saved mostly for the final 20%, I couldn't help but feel the entirety of the book was a page turner in its own way. There are so many things I'd like to mention in my review, but I think I'll leave it here and implore you to please give this book a chance if this type of fiction is your jam. Highly, highly recommended, as this is a tale I won't soon forget, and will most definitely be in my Top 10 reads of 2020.

I want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read/review this book.Publication date is 3/10/20.

I unfortunately did not connect with this book. I found it to be a bit on the repetitive side, and because of this the main story became a bit lost. I did enjoy that Pisarcik was able to convey the atmosphere of North Falls, a town full of deterioration.

I wish that there were more of the story line of the missing/murders of Mathew and William, and the effects of this on the families. While I did enjoy Ruth Fenn's character, I was a bit confused by Milks character, and felt like he may have needed a bit more backstory/ depth to be an enjoyable character.

2.5/5

Rating: 3.5 🔪

Author: Ian Pisarcik

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: 10th March 2020



(Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a free early copy of this book to review)



Synopsis:-

For fans of David Joy and Christopher J. Yates, comes Ian Pisarcik's haunting debut novel exploring the fraught nature of families and the inescapable secrets that are out to cripple them.

On the outskirts of a town too tired for its own happenings, the boys were found dead inside a tent.

Three years later, their fathers have disappeared, too.

Ruth Fenn's son was the boy they blamed. For three years, Ruth has accepted her lot as pariah, focusing on her ailing mother and the children left in her care by the struggling single parents of North Falls, Vermont. But now the additional loss of her husband is too much to bear, and she has no choice but to overcome the darkness or be consumed by it. But as she edges closer to the truth, she begins to uncover some secrets that are better left buried.

That's when she meets Milk Raymond, a war vet who comes home to find his nine-year-old son abandoned by his mother. Unable to find work, with no idea how to be a father, Milk turns to Ruth for help. But as the mystery of Ruth's missing husband deepens, the fragile stability Milk has created for Daniel is shattered by the ill-fated return of Daniel's mother, who will stop at nothing to get her boy back.

As these unsettled and interconnected lives hurtle towards a devastating conclusion, both Ruth and Milk are about to learn that their dying Vermont town has more secrets than they ever thought possible--and there are those who will do anything to protect them.



My Thoughts:-

When I went into this book I wasn't sure what to expect, the synopsis sounded interesting but it didn't really give a hint to what the book was going to be. I found it was a bit slow starting, now that's not a bad thing always, and in this case it wasn't bad at all. It slowly builds up an image of the small Vermont town, North Falls, and it's interconnected and close knit community. Nothing ever happens in the hidden away town of North Falls, until it does. The reader is slowly fed little snippets of detail about the community, it's people and the lives of Ruth, Della, Milk and Daniel. It's told almost as two stories - one about Ruth and Della, the other Milk and Daniel - that slowly, steadily start to connect into one story with a hell of a conclusion. The story starts with the graphically described and disturbing murder of Ruth and Della's teenage boys, Mathew and William. Honestly, I nearly hung up the towel at this point because the brutally graphic description of mutilated children was almost too much for my mothering instincts to process. I am a mother, and I am very sensitive to details of death or abuse of children in books as a consequence, it doesn't bother other mothers but it does me so I was disturbed and wary of continuing. I decided to continue and hope the worse was over and it was, the boys are mentioned constantly throughout the book but never again do we meet with details of their horrible death.

Now the next thing I need to discuss is the two stories interconnecting, slowly, into one story. It's a great idea on paper and maybe it can be done really well by some authors, but sadly it didn't really work for me with this one. I found that I was enjoying Ruth's story and chapters much more than Milk's because her chapters where more enjoyable and connected to the plot. Milk's chapters don't really seem connected at all to the story until he eventually comes to North Falls and I feel like we didn't need to meet his character until that point. His backstory didn't add much to the plot in my opinion and it made the first half of the book tedious. I just wanted to read Ruth's chapters and found I was rushing Milk's to 'get back to the story'. I think maybe this splitting of characters by chapter would have worked better if the second character was more closely connected to the plot from the start.

So there are good and bad points about this one. More good than bad though, and Pisarcik's fluid writing style makes up a lot for the bad points anyway. I'd say I enjoyed it for the most part, as I did really enjoy Ruth's chapters from start to end and enjoyed Milk's more after the halfway mark. It's a good story, shocking and sometimes horrible, but enjoyable and gripping. I'd recommend it to some degree, it's probably not a book you NEED to read, but you'd certainly have tasted a decent new author if you did.

In Before Familiar Woods, Ian Pisarcik uses lovely, dense description to conjure a community struggling with drug use, the aftermath of the wars in the Middle East, dementia, prejudice, and two families ruined by an old crime. This may sound bleak but the novel isn’t without hope and its characters - a mother grieving the son she lost even before he died, a veteran trying to readjust to civilian life - will win you over with their authenticity and brave hearts.

BEFORE FAMILIAR WOODS by Ian Pisarcik
This book is a bit different from most I read. It’s not a thriller but definitely will keep you on edge at times. It’s a mystery for sure as you will want to know what happened. You’ll want to know where the two husbands who are not really friends are. They were together and you’ll want to know why. It’s somewhat of a sad story in many ways. It’s about what drugs will do to a person. Things they never imagined they would ever do. I felt bad for some of the characters in this story but hated some also. Though you can’t really blame another person if someone you love gets hooked on drugs you can get angry that they would take advantage of someone or get a kid hooked. Some things are just wrong no matter what. I’ve seen up close and personal what drugs do to good people. I’ve lost family members to drugs and it makes you so angry. This country does have a huge problem with drugs and it can only blame itself. The big drug companies get things started then the person has to turn to something they can afford. They feel helpless and hopeless. It’s truly sad what drugs does to people. What they will cause you to do just to get that high.
This book hits hard on drugs. It is also about two families who lost their only children to a crazy camping trip and supposed drug use. Also a mother who abandons her child to run away with someone so she can get drugs. A man back from Iraq who loves his son and wants what is best for him. A mother who blames herself. Another mother who tries praying to get her through the loss of her son. Two dads who have to live with choices.
This book is told in two stories. One is Ruth Fenn telling a story of love and loss. Of looking into herself to try and fix things. She wants to find her husband before something happens to him. The loss her her teenagers son. She is a hard woman now but loves children and helps people also. She’s a kind woman in many ways but will not be messed with about some things. I loved her. Then we have Milk’s story. He has a son also. A nine year old son who he is trying to raise since his return from Iraq. He’s alone. His wife and the mother of his son left. But she returned and will try anything to get Daniel back. Even though it’s the worse place he could ever be. Ruth and Milk become friends via a social worker who recommended Ruth to Milk as someone who would help him out with his son so he could find a job.
As this story progresses you will wonder what happened to the men. What happened to the boys who were found dead in a tent. Were they murdered or was it a night of doing drugs gone horrible wrong. That one you’ll have to read and figure out for yourself. One father in this story I loved. One I totally detested. In that I mean the father’s of the dead boys.
This is a good story to help you understand what drugs do to people. To people who are good until they get involved with that drug for the first time. How they change and how it changes a family is horrible. But it’s reality unfortunately.
I felt so many conflicting emotions reading this book but it is what it is. It’s the raw truth as to what happens in towns where no one seems to care that drugs are taking over. Where the law turns a blind eye to things and blames an innocent person totally for something that he may or may not have done.
I have to thank #NetGalley #Ian Pisarcik and #Crooked Lane Books for the eARC of this book.
I gave it 5 stars for the lesson I hope can be learned from reading it and I believe the author did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life. It felt real. From the cold to the addicts to the deaths. It felt like I was seeing these things as they unfolded. To me that is what a good book is suppose to do. I give this a high recommendation.

I loved the author’s beautiful, atmospheric writing style. I felt myself part of this Small Vermont town. The characters are remarkable and will stay with me for a while.
Many thanks to a Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I still can't believe this is a debut novel. It was so well done. The writing style was wonderful and the story line was perfectly executed. The suspense and speed of this story was absolutely perfect.
I really hope to read more from this author.

I finished BEFORE FAMILIAR WOODS yesterday and I think a lot of readers are going to dig it.

Set in Vermont, I was immediately snared by the authors descriptive ability AND his MC Ruth Fenn. She is a strong woman that takes no shit and loves fiercely. Part mystery, part thriller, I thought the book moved well and I enjoyed the reader discovery. There are a couple of story lines at play here and by the time they smash violently together at the end, there was no way I could put this down until I finished. The ending of the book is unique...it ends and then there’s a bit more. I can’t say too much bc I don’t want to spoil anything, but I rather liked it and I can’t wait to see what others think.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.
It's hard to believe this was the author's first novel. This book is a new favorite. Such a heart-breaking, noir tale full of emotion. You feel so much of what the characters are going through. I hope to read more by this wonderful new author. Reminds me a lot of David Joy, Ron Rash, William Gay.

This is a fantastic book of mysteries. It's dark and foreboding. The story runs smoothly, but secrets of this dark thriller are revealed slowly, leaving you on the edge of your seat holding your breath! The relationship between Ruth and Della is captivating and slowly reveals the secrets of their history. This is a great book for reading on a cold, stormy afternoon!

A top thriller that has you turning left and right. The characters don't quite reveal themselves, they keep dark secrets that slowly reveal themselves in this fast paced thriller that is hard to put down.

Before Familiar Woods isn't a familiar thriller. It's raw and dark. A town full of secrets that keep you guessing. A rare thriller in the sense that it actually shocks you each chapter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gritty, real and oppressive in its darkness. "Before Familiar Woods" is a tour de force of a novel.

There is something of John Steinbeck in Ian Pisarcik's vivid depiction of poverty in rural America, that is without parallel in contemporary novels. So, is you want a cosy read that provides a cathartic escape from everyday life, then this is not the novel for you. If you want an intriguing, thoughtful mystery and masterfully constructed narrative that is uncomfortably evocative of life on the margins of society, then you won't find a better example than "Before Familiar Woods”. This is quite simply a tour de force of a literary thriller. There is the mystery, of course, and let me tell you, you will become quickly drawn into the intricacies of the cleverly constructed plot that centres on the life and losses of one Ruth Fenn. Ruth has lost one son to murder, and another son has been blamed for the slayings of the boy and his friend. Living as an outcast on the margins of the meagre town of North Falls, Vermont, Ruth's misery is compounded by the disappearance of her husband and once again the cycle of rumour and accusation begins anew. Thrown into the mix is Milk, a returning veteran of the Iraq War, who returns to the town to take up custody of his son, who has recently been abandoned by this mother, Milk's ex and when she returns... well, lets just say that events take an explosive turn. This is a story of how certain configurations of human life can interconnect in ways that eventually provide a catalyst for the darkest of events - murder. In this eventual unravelling of the Gordian Knot of motive and personality, Ian Pisarcik proves masterful. This is a novel full of heart, albeit a dark throbbing one pulsating on the periphery of a small community, Real and gritty, but never plunging to the depths of poverty porn, Pisarcik has written a rare gem of novel that brings us face to face with uncomfortable truths we would rather turn away from.

A highly recommended read for 2020.

Raw, gritty and dark with glimmers of light. While I found this novel to be easily readable, I felt the two disparate plot lines took too long to become clear why they were intertwined.

This has to be one of the top thrillers I've read as of late. There's a town with secrets and those that will do anything to protect them, while others are terrified. Boys are killed, then their fathers go missing. This is one hell of a thriller for 2020.

Thank You for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a new author for me but the book was great and had an easy to follow along story and great characters. I highly recommend this book.

Living in a rural area myself, I could relate to the feel.of this book. The impoverished, struggling rural community. It had a dark feel to it, with realistic characters. It rang true to life, but almost too true. It was gritty, it was real, it was dark.

This was a very well written, interesting story. It just wasn't my personal taste.

I do want to thank the publisher and net galley for the ARC which did not impact my review. And it's always nice to read something outside of my usual wheelhouse.

This is a first time read from author Ian Pisarcik and has been a remarkable experience. The narrative has that Americana feel of impoverished and forgotten small town USA. Pisarcik’s depiction of the town, the setting, and the overall gravelly, raw nature of the characters - it’s an entire entity in itself. The characterization of the cast is unique in that the reader is (what I think is purposefully) held at arms length, adding a whole other edge of suspense to the storyline. This may not play well for audiences who like to submerse themselves thoroughly into characters. However, I’ll speak for myself and say that Pisarcik’s creative expression is well appreciated. While this is a suspense novel by genre, it holds a multitude of other complex dynamics within the plot that makes it feel like so much more. Loved it. 5 stars.



Thank you to #NetGalley and @CrookedLaneBooks for this ARC. #BeforeFamiliarWoods was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers) all thoughts and opinions are my own.

#wayward_readers #waywardreader #ianpisarcik

Reviews and mentions found here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3hS9kDAADB/?igshid=t5305esz0ugf
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3006716146
https://www.facebook.com/tarrahmarie.waywardreaders

Grim. Gritty. Dark. These are the first words that spring to mind after reading Ian Pisarcik's debut, Before Familiar Woods. Absent is the glitz and glamour of New York-set novels (or even novels portraying the struggling millennial, desperate to make ends meet while toiling as the executive assistant or the barista). This is poverty in small town America, the forgotten sector, set amidst the backdrop of drug addiction and exploitation.

I wanted to retreat immediately into a fluffy rom-com after finishing this one. It's a hard read, but wow, what a voice and what a setting. You're drawn into to the cold, unforgiving Vermont woods.

Ruth Fenn stars in this one. She's living on the outskirts of her town, an outcast after her son and his friend are found dead in a tent in the woods. Her son, Mathew, is blamed for everything. But then her husband disappears and her world is once again turned upside down.

Things get more complicated when she meets Milk, a returning veteran of the Iraq War, who takes custody of his son when his ex abandons him. Milk has no idea how to care for Daniel and he's desperate to find work. But when Daniel's mother comes back for her son, Milk and Ruth and thrown into the heart of evil that might have stolen Mathew.

There's some great character development here and your heart breaks alongside Ruth's. The action picks up considerably in the last quarter of the book and you're left with a feeling of unease when it's all over. This was not the book I was expecting when I read the blurb. I thought I was in for a crime thriller; this ended up being much bleaker. But I'm glad to have read it all the same.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

On the outskirts of a town too tired for its own happenings, the boys were found dead inside a tent.

Three years later, their fathers have disappeared, too.

Ruth Fenn's son was the boy they blamed. For three years, Ruth has accepted her lot as pariah, focusing on her ailing mother and the children left in her care by the struggling single parents of North Falls, Vermont. But now the additional loss of her husband is too much to bear, and she has no choice but to overcome the darkness or be consumed by it. But as she edges closer to the truth, she begins to uncover some secrets that are better left buried.

That's when she meets Milk Raymond, a war vet who comes home to find his nine-year-old son abandoned by his mother. Unable to find work, with no idea how to be a father, Milk turns to Ruth for help. But as the mystery of Ruth's missing husband deepens, the fragile stability Milk has created for Daniel is shattered by the ill-fated return of Daniel's mother, who will stop at nothing to get her boy back.

As these unsettled and interconnected lives hurtle towards a devastating conclusion, both Ruth and Milk are about to learn that their dying Vermont town has more secrets than they ever thought possible--and there are those who will do anything to protect them.

Dang, this was some serious subject matter. I felt the whole bunch. Ruth was one you DO connect with from the shart to finish. Vermont has far too many secrets, some you just wish were rumors.
Thanks, NetGalley for the advance to review.